


Glimmer and Gold

by scatteringmyashes



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), winks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 22:39:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10976826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteringmyashes/pseuds/scatteringmyashes
Summary: It’s a bright store, the kind that’s loud to look at and just screams expensive, so of course Vex wants to go inside. And well, they do need more magical items and this store promises all kinds of cool goodies. Glorious ones, if the name is anything to go by.Vax doesn’t expect to be charmed by the owner. He doesn’t expect the flirting, the winks, the sly smiles. And he certainly doesn’t expect to return them.Aka: the pre-ship, pre-stream fic we all deserve.





	Glimmer and Gold

Vox Machina, formerly known as The S.H.I.T.S until they decided that was a bit too unprofessional even for them, haven’t been in Emon long which is probably why they haven’t seen the shop before. Keyleth and Pike had dragged everyone out to go shopping with the money from their last job, citing the need for new supplies. Really, it’s not like they need an excuse to walk around and spend money. Except perhaps Vex -- she hordes gold like a dragon, a comparison everyone but Vax has made at least once. 

Vax knows better than to draw his sister’s ire with that kind of a metaphor. 

It’s a rare peaceful day and Vax is in a good mood, or at least as good as he ever is. Vex has Trinket out beside her and between him, the seven foot plus goliath with a battle axe, and the general aura around Vax that tends to keep strangers away, people are giving them a wide berth. Tiberius is chattering away with Keyleth while Scanlan attempts to serenade Pike, something that hasn’t worked the last three hundred and fifty three times and probably won’t work this time either. 

Percival-I-Have-Too-Many-Names de Rolo the third is smiling and occasionally taking notes in the small notebook he’s taken to carrying around. Vax doesn’t know what he puts it in, probably plans on how to take over the world or what he wants to eat for dinner. There’s a chance that they’re both the same thing, so Vax doesn’t think too hard about it.

“What -- where are you doing?” Vax asks as his sister takes a sudden turn off the main path, towards a storefront with purple paint and gold lettering all across the front. It reminds Vax a bit of Scanlan, actually, because of the colors and just how… bright it is. _Gilmore’s Glorious Goods,_ the sign says. Vax has no idea what it sells. The display windows are filled with all sorts of items, from rings to a few daggers and a collection of books. 

He doubts that they’ll actually be able to afford anything in the entire store, but even as kids it was hard for him to tell Vex _no._ Which, of course, applies only to important matters, since Vax will regularly get into arguments with her over the smallest of things. 

“Come on, brother. If anything about that last battle taught us anything, we need more magical items,” Vex says over her shoulder.

“Oh, did we learn something from that disaster? I thought we were just going to continue doing what we usually do,” Percy mutters, shaking his head slightly.

“And what’s that, Percy?” Keyleth asks, sounding genuinely curious and not picking up on his deadpan tone of voice at all. 

“Fail miserably,” Vax says at the same time as Percy replies,

“Plan for hours only to run into danger headfirst and have all our plans go out the window in six seconds.” There’s a pause as the group thinks about it. “Really, it’s always after six seconds. A bit odd, when you think about it.” A few murmurs of agreement pass through the group and then they’re at the store.

As per usual, there’s a moment when they’re not quite sure what to do about Trinket. Seeing as most places are not exactly amicable to groups that bring in fully grown bears, generally Trinket has to wait outside. But Vex always makes an ordeal out of it, acting as if he can’t take care of himself. Vax still finds himself smiling even as he wraps an arm around his sister’s shoulders and practically drags her inside Gilmore’s.

“He’ll be fine, Stubby,” Vax reassures her. He’s just as tall as her -- that’s how near identical twins work after all -- but he still manages to give her a bit of a noogie.

“Vax!” She screeched, shoving him off even as he laughs. He doesn’t try anything else as they walk into the store, flanked by the rest of Vox Machina. Grog barely fits through the door and, not for the first time, Vax wonders if maybe he should wait outside with Trinket.

Inside, the store really is glorious. It’s bigger on the inside, two stories and filled with books entirely on the second floor. The first is a display room, it seems, with glass cases containing all manner of items. There’s a selection of potion ingredients that Keyleth eyes and a few items that look rather boring to Vax -- combs and pins and quills -- that Percy is drawn too. Soon the entire group is dispersed among the aisles, walking around and cooing and awing over things they can’t afford.

That doesn’t stop Vex and Vax from wandering over, together, to the glass display cases and peering at the items inside. For a moment, Vax is brought back to his childhood, back when their father would try to bribe them into good behavior. He stopped quickly, realizing it wasn’t going to work and perhaps feeling like his gold was better spent on other things, but the memory is still there. 

Vax shakes his head -- he isn’t going to let his father ruin things for him now. Not anymore than he already has, of course.

“Look at those!” Vex says, pointing at a collection of three daggers that lie on a pillow. Vax has to squint to make out the little cards next to them -- the writing is not only small, it’s fancy and the two combined are difficult to decipher even in the bright light of the store -- but he can’t help but nod appreciatively. A flaming dagger and a poison dagger would definitely be useful. He isn’t too sure what a keen dagger is, but it sounds interesting enough. 

He tells Vex as much. “They’re probably too expensive,” he adds unnecessarily. Vex shrugs and throws her braid over one shoulder.

“Leave it to me, brother,” she replies. 

“Well hello there.” A warm voice draws the twins’ attention and the two of them look up at the same time. Vax is immediately drawn to the purple robes the man wears, the golden jewelry hanging from his neck and ears, the rings on almost every finger catching the light much like his gleaming eyes. 

The man himself is attractive. Vax isn’t blind. He knows when people look good and he has an eye for people of all genders. The man in front of him is, objectively, attractive. Big, and not in a Grog sense but more in someone who doesn’t travel often or go on wild adventures, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Brown skin, beautiful even though it’s hidden mostly by his clothes. And those eyes -- gleaming, yes, but warm. Deep. The kind of eyes that Vax could get lost in. 

He shakes his head and nods at the man as Vex turns on her charm. 

“Hello. I’m Vex’ahlia and this is my brother, Vax’ildan. Are you, by any chance, able to help us with these?” She points at the daggers with her free hand, leaning against the counter with her other arm propping her up. 

“I am! My name is Shaun Gilmore. I’m actually the owner of this fine establishment,” Shaun -- or Gilmore, that’s the name on the storefront -- says. He smiles at the two and glances down to see what Vex is pointing at. “Oh, the dagger set. Yes, yes, good choice. They all have a different enchantment on them and you can, of course, buy them separately but it would be a shame to split the set.” He motions to the display case. “May I?” He asks. 

Vax is confused but he senses that Vex is more amused than anything. She nods and stands up, letting Gilmore wave a hand. The glass shimmers and disappears. Vax can’t help but let out a soft noise of surprise, one mirrored by Vex. They watch as Gilmore reaches in and takes the daggers out, setting them on the glass once it reappears. He winks at Vax who swallows, a faint blushing rising. He isn’t sure if he’s supposed to return it or not. Besides, that’s more of his sister’s thing.

So he just smiles and leans forward a little, slowly reaching out to grab ahold of the flaming dagger. 

“So, Gilmore, how does one go about opening up a shop like this?” Vex asks, beginning her usual ploy. She’s laying it on a bit thick, even for her, eyelids drooping and giving him quite the look. Gilmore barely even glances at her, focused on Vax as the dagger lights up. 

It is, indeed, a flaming dagger in that it was not on fire before and now it’s on fire. Vax, in his surprise, almost drops it. He recovers right in time and succeeds in not burning the entire place to the ground. 

He gives Gillmore a sheepish grin. 

“Ah, don’t be concerned, Vax’ildan. The shop is equipped with the finest magical enchantments provided by yours truly. It would take more than a small dagger to do any harm. What do you think? You and your sister seem to be adventurers. I take it that you are looking for new equipment to help you on your journeys?” 

“Please call me Vax.” It slips out without a second thought and instantly Vax wonders if it was too much. But no, Vex looks almost impressed and Gilmore just laughs and claps his hands together in delight. “My sister and I are part of a group of adventurers, actually. We call ourselves Vox Machina.” 

“Really? How fascinating.” Gilmore does sound interested, at least as far as Vax can tell. Vex, however, is far more interested in the best way to get a deal than watching her brother attempt to hold a conversation with a shop owner. 

“So, _Gilmore,_ how much would all three daggers be?” She asks, putting a bit of a strange emphasis on his name. 

“Oh? For all three… Hm.” The conversation has drawn attention, specifically that of Percy and Tiberius. The two begin to walk over and Vax nods at them. He sees that neither of them seem to be holding anything. Unsurprising for Percy, who tends to use magical items only when he must, but usually they had to pull Tiberius from the store. His shopping sprees were even more prolonged than Vex’s. “That’d run you about eight thousand and five hundred gold.”

“Eight thousand -- you can’t be serious, dear,” Vex exclaimed, recovering her cool rather quickly, all things considered. Gilmore gave her an apologetic shrug and Vax set the flaming dagger down. There was no way he’d convince Vex to spend that much money on daggers, no matter how nice they are.

“What are they individually?” Vax asks, eyeing the poison dagger. Admittedly he likes the flaming one the most, but he can settle for another. 

“Well, the flaming dagger is three thousand and six hundred gold. The poison is two thousand and eight hundred gold. The keen dagger is two thousand five hundred, but if you buy them all together I can give you a bit of a discount.” Gilmore sounds sincere, but Vax does know a little bit about stores and magical items at this point. 

He also knows how much the group is carrying and, if they really want and play their cards right, they can probably bargain down the daggers to something more affordable. Vax nods at Vex who nods back. She’s clearly deduced the same.

“Hello, Vax,” Tiberius says as he comes up behind the twins. “What are you two looking at?” Vax motions at the daggers as Vex leans back on the counter. Her braid falls down onto the glass and for a moment, she looks less like a haggler and more like someone who’s telling her child to eat their greens. 

“Now, Gilmore -- my brother mentioned we’re adventurers,” she begins. Gilmore chuckles a little nervously, though he doesn’t seem at all perturbed by the small crowd that’s gathered around him.

“Yes, well, I’m afraid I don’t have discounts for people based on occupation. Too much of a hassle.” 

“No, no, I was just thinking. We come across a great deal of, well, magical items. If we were to have something that interests you, could we put that towards the cost of the daggers?” Behind them, something falls to the ground. Vax doesn’t really need to look to know it’s Grog, but he does anyone.

It’s Grog. Thankfully nothing seems broken, but Vex gives him a look that could cow even a raging dragon. He backs off and Pike takes his hand, leading him out of the store. When the group -- now including Keyleth, who is holding a bracelet in one hand -- looks back at Gilmore, he has a mildly amused look on his face.

“One of your friends?” He asks. 

“Unfortunately,” Vax deadpans. Gilmore chuckles again. Vax decides that it’s a good sound, nice and warm. 

He wonders if it’s just him, or if the store is warm. Usually, he doesn’t run hot but something about Gilmore’s store is making him sweat. He doesn’t ask, but he makes the mental note so he can bring it up later at dinner. 

“As for your suggest, Vex’ahlia, I suppose it depends what you have to offer.” Gilmore spreads his hands. “As you can see, I collect all manner of magical items so there tends to be a place for everything you could possibly need.” He claps his hands together and his smile grows. “But please, Vax, introduce me to your friends.” 

“Ah, yeah.” Vax motions at them and is unsurprised when Tiberius introduces himself with a rough shake of Gilmore’s hand. Percy uses his full name, no doubt to be impressive, and earns himself an eyebrow raise but nothing else. Keyleth, bless her heart, seems excited to meet a new person and immediately afterwards asks how much the bracelet is. 

“And what does it do?” 

“Oh, that?” Gilmore laughs again. Vax gets the sense that he does that a lot. He hasn’t met many people who laugh easily. Keyleth might be the only other one. “It’s a minor protection spell, nothing too fancy. But it looks quite beautiful. If you want to try it on, go ahead. I love when my patrons try the merchandise. How else can they know if they like it? Which, by all means Vax’ildan, please look at the other daggers.” 

Well, with a request like that, how can Vax not? He tunes the others out, keeping an ear out for anything Gilmore might say, as he examines the other two. 

They’re finely made -- not like Vax is surprised -- and he does want them. He has daggers now, of course, but they aren’t nearly as nice. In fact, they barely count as magical, something that almost put the group up shit creek last battle. It isn’t like the others have particularly nice gear, though, and he’d feel a little bad having so much money spent on him… 

“You know, my brother is _very_ talented.” Vex’s voice cuts through to him and Vax glances at her, raising an eyebrow. She ignores him. “He is very quick, you see, because he gets right up next to the enemy and fights them, but he doesn’t wear very much armor.”

“That sounds quite dangerous, no matter how skilled you are,” Gilmore points out.

“It is,” Vax interrupts his sister. If she’s going to talk about him, she has to be prepared for him to do that at _least._ “But I’m fast on my feet and sometimes I can even be a bit clever. I’m not just good looks.” It’s probably the closest he’s gotten to bragging about himself in months -- if not longer. Vex definitely has a look of shock on her face.

Gilmore, who isn’t privy to years of Vax’s self-loathing mindset and self-depreciating comments, finds it amusing and chuckles. “Well, if you are as talented as you are beautiful, then you must be deadly indeed.” There seems to be a lull in conversation, a moment where Vax swears he can hear his heart thumping in his chest and the blood rushing to his face. 

“Yeah, well, I’ve killed a dragon before so you know.” A casual shrug. “I’m pretty cool.” Vax is pretty sure you could hear Keyleth’s gasp of surprise from the other side of the room and Percy begins coughing violently, but if Gilmore finds anything amiss he doesn’t show it.

“Well, as it happens I’m in the business of helping adventurers,” he says. Vax grins and, taking a note out of his sister’s handbook, leans against the counter. His hair is behind his ears and he doesn’t have a chest to show off, but he hopes that his sly smile and bright eyes are enough. This is the opening he was hoping for.

“It seems like today is my lucky day, then.” 

Gilmore chuckles. “Perhaps I am the lucky one, Vax’ildan.” Is he just imaging the way Gilmore leans in a little closer, the way he strokes his beard as if to check how it looks, the way his eyes are focused on Vax like nothing else exists? 

A wink. Vax definitely did not image the wink. 

It takes Vax a moment to remember how to breathe. He blushes and coughs, looking away. No matter what he tries, he’s not really as smooth as his sister and usually he just lurks in the corner while she buys things for the party. But something about Gilmore is… alluring. It draws Vax in, a moth to the flame. “No, really, call me Vax,” he says. 

“All right. What deal do you have to offer?” Gilmore replies. Vax decides that he is not quite bold enough to suggest a kiss as part of the bartering, but he does toss in a few unused rings of various elemental protection and get the price brought down to a much more reasonable five and a half thousand gold. 

It’s still a lot for three daggers, but Vex pays in silence. Well, she hands the gold to Vax who places it on the counter and lets his hand rest there for a moment. There’s no mistaking the way Gilmore hesitates, waiting for Vax to move before letting their fingers brush as he picks the gold up himself. 

There’s an honest to Sarenrae jolt that goes through Vax when they touch and it takes him a full five seconds to put the daggers in various places on his body, pulling others out to be put in the bag of holding with Grog. 

“It was a pleasure doing business with you, Vax,” Gilmore says with another warm smile. It reminds Vax of a hug -- no, not a hug, an embrace. The feeling when someone more important than the world pulls you into their arms and squeezes and you are helpless to do anything other than return it with all your strength. 

Vax wants more of those smiles. 

“It was a pleasure, Gilmore,” Vax replies. And, with a wink, he turns around and walks away.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr: [scatteringmyashes.](http://scatteringmyashes.tumblr.com/)


End file.
